tipitakafandomcom-20200215-history
Thera 3.1: Anganika-Bharadvaja
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(170):Anganika-Bharadvaja Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter III. three Verses =170. Angaṇika-Bhāradvāja= Reborn in this Buddha-age near the Himālaya, at the city of Ukkaṭṭha,1 in the family of a very rich brahmin(priest), he was named Angaṇika-Bhāradvāja.2 And when he had learned all Vedic wisdom and art, his inclination for renunciation induced him to leave the world(for monkhood) and carry on penance for salvation.3 Wandering here and there, he met the Buddha Supreme on a country tour, and with satisfied mind heard him teach. Leaving his false ascetics, he took monk’s orders, and practising for insight, in due course acquired sixfold abhiññā(higher knowledge). Remaining thereafter in the bliss of liberty, he took compassion on his family, and visited and taught them in the Refuges and the Precepts; then leaving them, he went to live in a forest near the village of Kuṇḍiya of the Kurus.4 158 Going for some purpose to Uggāyāma, he was approached by some brahmin(priest) acquaintances, who said: 'Lord(Buddha) Bhāradvāja, what have you seen that you have left the brahmin(priest) communion for this community?' And he, showing that outside the Buddha's church there was no pure rule, said: ---- 219 Ayoni 29 suddhimanvesaɱ aggiɱ paricariɱ vane,|| Suddhimaggaɱ ajānanto akāsiɱ amaraɱ tapaɱ.|| || 220 Taɱ sukhena sukhaɱ laddhaɱ passa dhammasudhammataɱ,|| Tisso vijjā anuppattā kataɱ buddhassa sāsanaɱ.|| || 221 Brahumabandhu pure āsiɱ idāni khomhi brāhmaṇo,|| Tevijjo nahātako camhi setthiyo camhi vedagū' ti.|| || ---- 219 Purity without principle my quest, When in the grove I fostered sacred fire. Painful the penances I did for reaching heaven, All ignorant of purity's true path. 220 This happiness by happy ways is won5 - O see the seemly monk’s order of the Path(Dhamma)!6 The threefold wisdom have I gotten now, And all the Buddha's ordinance is done. 221 Once but a son of brahmins(priests) born was I;7 To-day I stand brahmin(priest) in very deed, Versed in the triple wisdom and graduate,8 By sacramental bathing consecrate. ---- Then those brahmins(priests) hearing him, expressed enthusiastic appreciation of the Sāsana. ---- 1 On this upland town (= 'lofty'), See Dialogues, i. 108. A road connected it with Setavyā (sup., p. 67; Ang., ii. 37) and with Vesālī (Jāt., ii. 259, text). 2 There are about nineteen Bhāradvājas (a gens name) mentioned in the Piṭakas. This one is not met with elsewhere. 3 That which, in the text, is amaraɱ tapaɱ ('penances ... for heaven') is, in the Commentary, rendered amatatapaɱ, amataɱ tapaɱ. The difference, etymologically, is that between 'undying' and 'not dead.' Both refer, probably, to reunion with the gods, as attainable by the penance of the five fires, etc. See sup., p. 120, and Dialogues, i 211. 4 This will not be the Kuṇḍiya of the Koḷiyas (Udana, ii. 8; Jāt., i. No. 100). Uggāyāma is possibly the place Ugga of LXXX. 5 Cf. LXIII. 6 Cf. XXIV. He is addressing either the Path(Dhamma) or himself, says the Commentary, omitting the more probable 'or the brahmins(priests) .' 7 Cf. p. 222; also the very similar lines, Sisters, verse 251 and note. 8 The Commentary finds Sāsana-equivalents for all these terms of Vedic tradition. ---- 3.Third Section =3.1170 Commentary on the stanza of Aṅgaṇikabhāradvājatthera= The stanza starting with ayoni suddhimanvesaṃ in the third section (tikanipāte) constitutes that of the venerable Thera Aṅagaṇikabhāradvāja. What is the origin? This one also, having done devoted deeds of service toward former Buddhas, accumulating acts of merit, conducive towards escape from rounds of repeated rebiths in this and that existence, was reborn in a family home, at the time of the Blessed One Sikhi, thirtyone aeons (kappa) ago; on having attined the age of intelligence, he, one day, happened to have met the Master who was wandering about for alms food, becmae pious-minded, paid his homage with fivefold earth-touchings (pañcapatiṭṭhita), and raised up his clasped hands. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings and was reborn in the home of a brahmin who was endowed with wealth in a city named Ukkaṭṭha near the Himavanta when this Buddha arose; having gained the name Aṅgaṇikabhāradvāja, he reached proficiency in arts and sciences, on coming of age, renounced the world by becoming a wandering recluse owing to his inclination for renunciation, happened to have caught sight of the well self-awakened Buddha who was making tour of the districts, when he kept wandering about here and there, while parctising his immortal (amara) austerity, became pious-minded, listened to the teaching of truth (dhamma) in the presence of the Master, gave up that wrong practice of austerity, became a monk in the dispensation (sāsana) and doing the deed of developing spiritual insight (vipassanā), became, but before long, an Arahant with six sorts of higher-knowledge, Hence, has it been said in the Apadāna.-- “Pious-minded and good hearted, I paid my homage to Buddha, the best, the Bull among man, the most excelllent hero, the winner of conquests Vessabhū. It was thirtyone aeons (kappa) ago, that I then did my deed. I do not remember any evil existence; this is the fruitful result of my paying homage. Twentyfour aeons (kappa) ago, I was a world-king named Vikatananda, of great vigour, endowed with seven sorts of gems. My depravity had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” Having, however, become an Arahant with six sorts of higher-knowledge, he went to his own native land (jātibhūmi) out of coppassion for his kinsmen, while he was dwelling with the bliss of emancipation, had his many relatives established in the three refuges (saraṇa) and moral precepts, receded (nivattitvā) from there, lived in the forest not far from a market town (nigama) named Kuṇḍiya in the kindom of Kuru, and went to Uggārāma on a certain busimess. On being asked thus: “O Bhāradvāja! After having seen what, did you catch hold of this doctrine (samaya) subsequent upon having abandoned the doctrine of brahmins?” by those brahmins who had assembled together, who were his friends (samdiṭṭha) and who had come from Uttarapatha, he spoke his first stanza in order to show to them that there is no purity (sudāṅi) outside this dispensation (sāsana) of Buddha. 219. “I attended upon the fire in the forest, in search of purity unwisely (ayoni); not knowing the path of purity, I did my immortal austerity.” There, ayoni means: unwisely, without proper means (anupāyena). Suddhiṃ means: the purity from the circle of repeated rebirths (saṃsāra), the escape from existences. Anvesaṃ means: seeking. Aggiṃ paricariṃ vane means: I made reverential offering according to the rituals stated in the vedas and attended upon the fire divinity promoting (paggaṇhanto) the sacrifical offering, having made a fire chamber (agyāgāraṃ) in the hall of fire-sacrifice (aggihuta) in the forest region with such a significance as: “This is the pure path.” Suddhimaggaṃ ajānanto, akāsiṃ amaraṃ tapaṃ means: not knowing the path to nibbāna, the pure, I performed, practised and entered upon my devotion to such self-strain (kilamatha) as satiating with five forms of religious austerity, similar to attending upon fire (aggiparicaraṇa), thinking it to be the pure path (suddhi-magga). Having, in this manner, shown the absence of purity outside by means of the state of not having attained purity by having looked after (anuṭṭhāya) such rituals as attending upon fire, etc., according to the formalities (vidhi) prescribed in the vedas similar to going from one hermitage to another haermitage, the Thera spoke the second stanza, in order to show now that there is purity but in this very dispensation (sāsana) and that purity had been attained by me (mayā). 220. “That happiness had been gained easily (sukhena); behold the good nature (sudhammatā) of the truth (dhamma); the threefold super- science (vijjā) had accordingly been attained; Buddha’s instruction had been carried out.” There, taṃ means: not knowing that path of purity for which purpose I am seeking, I attended upon the fire, and I practised the immortal austerity; sukhaṃ sukhena means: that happiness of nibbāna, by means of the proper practice (paṭipadā) of the bliss of calm composure (samatha) and spiritual insight (vipassanā), without having recourse to (anupagamma) self strain (attakilamatha); laddhaṃ means: had been attained and achieved by me. Passa dhamma Sudhammataṃ means: see and understand the good nature and the character (sabhāvaṃ) of the act (dhamma) of escape (niyyānika) and endurance (aviparitā) of the truth (dhamma) of dispensation (sāsana) of the Master; thus, the Thera speaks by way of addressing the truth (dhamma). In other words, he addresses himself. In order to show the state of having gained it the Thera said: “Tisso vijjā anupattā, kataṃ buddhānasāsanaṃ.” The meaning of it has been said. The Thera spoke the third stanza in order to show thus:– “Hence forward I am a brahmaṇa (the chaste), in its absolute sense (paramatthato),” because of having purity in this manner. 221. “I was formerly a kinsman of brahmā; now, indeed, I am a brāhmaṇa (the holy). I am a thrice learned (tevijjo) who had had his bath (nhātako). I was learned in the lore (sattiyo) and versed in the vedas (vedagū). The meaning of that stanza:– Brahmabandhu āsiṃ means: - Previous to this present time, just by mere birth, because of being a brahmin, I was known as the Kinsman of brahmā, (brahmabandhu) according to the appellation (semaññā) of the brahmins. Idāni kho brāhmaṇo amhi means: Because evil had become ousted, however, I am a brahmaṇa in its absolute sense (paramattha), with the attainment of Arahantship. Tevijjoca amhi means: previous to the present, I was known as tevijja (thrice learned), just merely (mattena) by disignation (samaññā) by my recitatioin (ajjhāyana) of sciences reckoned as three vedas which are makers (kara) of accumulation of existences (bhavasañcaya) formerly; now I am a tevijja in its absolute sense (paramatthato) because of my having attained the three vijjā by way of makers of the elimination of existences. Nhātako ca amhi means: likewise, previous to the present, I was known as the bathed (nhātaka) just by mere disignation (samaññamatta) on account of having finished fulfilling the rite of religious bathing, because of being fettered (gadhita) by the sweetness (assāda) of existence formerly, but now I am well bathed (nhātaka) in its absolute sense (paramattha) because of the condition of having well washed off (suvikkhālita) the impurity of depravity (kilesa) with the water (jala) of eightfokd noble path (atthaṅgika magga). Sothiyo c’amhi means previous to the present, I was known as being learned (sottiya) just by mere terminology (vonāramatta) by me being able to recited the charms (mantajjhāna) which are not clearly free from the sweetness of existence formerly but now I am learned (sottiya) in its absolute sense by my jhāna of truth (dhamma) which is well amancipated from swetness of existence. Vedagū means: pervious to the present, I was known as Vedagū just merely by my having gone through the vedas, which had not forsaken evil deeds (appaṭinissaṭṭhapāpadhamma) formerly, now I have become vedagū in its absolute sense, because of having known, attained and gone to the further shore of the fourfold noble truths, the knowledge (veda) of the great flood of rounds of repeated rebirths (saṃsāra), by means of the knowledge of the right path (magga) reckoned as veda. Having heard that stanza, the brahmins acknowledge their profusely (uḷāra) pious pleasure (pasāda) in the dispensation (sāsana). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Aṅgaṇikabhāradvāja is complete. ----